Vassal Engine

Last updated
Vassal Engine
Developer(s) The Vassal Team.
Initial release2002 (2002)
Stable release
3.7.5 / October 30, 2023 (2023-10-30)
Repository
Written in Java
Operating system Any
Platform Cross-platform
Available inMultilingual (English and 6 other languages)
Type Game engine
License GNU LGPLv2+
Website vassalengine.org

The Vassal Engine is a game engine for building and playing online adaptations of board games, tabletop games and card games. It allows users to play in real time over a live Internet connection, and also by email (PbeM). It runs on all platforms, and is free, open-source software. [1] [2] For example, there is a Star Wars Miniatures module, where players can play with up to three others in a digital replica of the table-top game.

Contents

It is written in Java and the source code is available from GitHub under the LGPL open source license. [3]

History

Vassal began as VASL (Virtual Advanced Squad Leader), an application for playing Advanced Squad Leader . [4]

Available modules

Vassal modules exist for over 1000 games, some of which are listed here. A more comprehensive, but not exhaustive, list of modules exists on the Vassal module site list.

Tabletops

Boardgames

Card games

In September 2008, Games Workshop issued a cease-and-desist order regarding V40k to Tim Davis, the V40k module maintainer at that time. [11] The module is still played.

Games Workshop has also issued a cease-and-desist order regarding Space Hulk .

Similar projects

Similar engines for making board games include ZunTzu [12] and Boardgame.io. [13]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Geryk, Bruce (August 2007). Green, Jeff (ed.). "Line of Attack: Your monthly guide to hard-core wargaming" (Print Magazine). Games for Windows. Ziff Davis Media (9): 92. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. Ardwulf's Lair (7 October 2015). Exploring the Vassal Engine for Online Boardgaming and Wargaming . Retrieved 22 Jul 2021.
  3. "Official Vassal Website". Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2006-08-18.
  4. R.Flaibani (14 December 2010). "The Master and His Vassal". Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  5. "VASSAL". Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  6. "Warmachine&Hordes Vassal Module Download". Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  7. "Download Source for Battlefleet Gothic Module". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  8. "Module Shadows over Camelot Download". Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  9. Playing Cards
  10. Module Site
  11. "GW V40k Legal Action". Archived from the original on 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  12. "ZunTzu - the Online Boardgaming Platform". Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  13. "Boardgame.io - Open-Source Game Engine for Turn-Based Games". Archived from the original on 2021-02-14. Retrieved 2021-07-22.